quote:A man named Perry Costello played this role Friday night, calling balls and strikes in a grossly haphazard manner from the outset. Arkansas's exceptional pitching staff issued a season-high nine walks, two of which were of the bases-loaded variety and helped South Carolina eke out a 3-2 victory that moved the Gamecocks ever closer to a third straight national title (Arizona ultimately spoiled the trifecta bid with an emphatic two-game sweep of the Cocks for the crown)....

quote:The disparity became comically obvious when ESPN would overlay its K-Zone technology on pitch replays. A cutting fastball from Carolina lefty Tyler Webb would settle several inches outside and be called a strike. Hog starter DJ Baxendale, pitching masterfully over the first four innings, would find his on-target pitches being denied by Costello's right arm in the fifth. Baxendale, an exceedingly respected and stoic young man throughout three fine years here, walked off the mound casting hard glares toward Costello. The Hogs' plight only worsened afterward, as relievers Colby Suggs and Barrett Astin simply could not get a bead on Costello's floating zone, and Astin eventually took the hard-luck loss when one more agonizing ball four put the winning tally across in the eighth inning....